Writers’ circles: Writing group exercises

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Explore imposter syndrome with these writing group exercises from Julie Phillips

Have you ever walked into a place – a cafe, a meeting, a party – only to feel like a fish out of water, like you don ’ t belong? Or have you written a pitch for a magazine, submitted a short story or told someone you don ’ t know that you are a writer and then felt wrong for doing so? You may be suffering from Imposter Syndrome and this is what your writing group will be exploring this month.

We all have times when we applied for and got a job that we ’d convinced ourselves we weren ’ t good enough for.

Or we have written the first draft of a novel only to shove it away at the back of a drawer somewhere, never to see the light of day again because we don ’ t think we have what it takes to edit and get it published. Even when we do have a little success as writers, we tend to play it down, or feel that we are merely masquerading as a good writer and that any minute now we are going to be unmasked and found out to be the charlatans that we think we are. But what about the world of a real imposter?

First ask the group to recall a time where they felt like an imposter and write down their feelings about that experience. What made them feel like they didn ’ t belong or didn ’ t deserve the success or invite? Was it something within themselves such as low self esteem or anxiety? Or was it something external to them, like someone giving them a stern look or whispering to other guests, that they thought was directed at them? Analysing those feelings can help to see the interplay between reality and our perception of it which can seem very different, which heightens those feelings and our potential responses to it. This understanding is key to improving writing because it allows for conflict and misdirection for our characters.

Next, it ’ s time to flex your fiction muscles and think of a situation where an imposter, someone who says they are someone they are not, or suggests it, might appear. It might be a private event like a family wedding, a party, or a works do, or it could be a more public event like a book signing, a summer festival or a music concert. Think about a couple of characters and why they are at an event. One of them shouldn ’ t be there, or should be if they actually were the person they state that they are. What motivates them to impersonate someone else? That is the key to your conflict in the piece. Is it a financial/fraud thing, a revenge thing or something else?

Maybe a long lost, apparently wealthy, family member has died, and suddenly, out of the ether appears a man, apparently a long lost cousin come to pay their respects to the deceased, when they are not that person but are pretending to be in order to claim a stake in the will. The other character is suspicious of him but what can they do to out him as the imposter he is?

Expand on this. Write the scene of the imposter ’ s arrival and announcement from the viewpoint of the true family member character and then rewrite the same scene from the viewpoint of the imposter. This is a good way of bringing out the dynamics of the family characters and the waves the imposter makes. How is the genuine family member going to play it? Will they come out loud and accusatory, risking it all imploding on them as the rest of the family, who are more gullible, are taken in by the imposter and the family member kicking up the fuss is ostracised? Or will they play the long game, hoping the imposter will trip themselves up and reveal their true self and motivation, given time, with little interference from anyone else? Plenty of potential food for conflict there.

Have a think about the traits or behaviours an imposter or impersonator might have and display. They would have had to have done their research so that they could answer any questions the people they are trying to dupe might ask. They would also have to be confident and not give in to any anxieties or qualms they might have of being discovered. Chutzpah and bare faced cheek often get them what they want, as does deception, manipulation and coercion, but they could also go an a charm offensive.

The scope of the imposter and impersonator is vast for writers. There ’ s plenty of opportunity to introduce subterfuge to deflect and reroute the readers ’ perceptions of who is the real deal and who isn ’ t, with lots of potential for conflict and an intriguing plot line.